Reprocessed single-use devices in laparoscopy: assessment of cost, environmental impact, and patient safety

Excerpt

United States health care spending rose 4.3% in 2016 to reach $3.2 trillion dollars, or 17.9% of the GDP [1]. It is predicted that, without intervention, this will reach 20% by 2025. In addition, it has been recently calculated that the healthcare industry in the United States accounts for nearly 10% of the country’s carbon dioxide emissions [2]. One of the most important factors contributing to these escalating trends is the fact that many devices used in healthcare are intended for single patient use and are subsequently disposed resulting in significant waste as well as cost. Such devices are as ubiquitous as they are necessary for patient care and range from blood pressure cuffs to laparoscopic trocars to cardiac catheterization balloons. In order to curtail rising trends in cost and waste, the concept of using reprocess single-use devices (RSUD) was introduced in the year 2000. However, given the ethical implications of reusing medical devices on multiple patients, it is important that certain safeguards are in place to ensure that RSUDs do not result in transmission of disease or malfunction in the clinical setting. The following is a review of RSUDs along with an assessment of their impact on cost, the environment and patient safety in laparoscopy. …